Avatar: Rise of the Shadowbender
by Seth Roneen
Summary: When a Fire Nation raiding party breaks an ancient seal in the Earth Kingdom, Aang and his friends must contend with an being that may be more dangerous than even the Fire Nation


Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar! I wish I did, but I don't. Heck I would sell 20 of my soul for just one of the bending skills. I hope you like it!

Avatar: Rise of the Shadowbender

Chapter 1: Revival

The morning began quietly. On the western edge of the Earth Kingdom, the dawn came with a cool mist that made the world seem as if its breath was being held. The fog was dense, thick, and hung like a shroud over the earthen wood. Into this morning a sound began to grow, like thundering clouds gathering for the storm. As the sound grew louder, a bright flash of light burst from the shroud of fog.

The Fire Nation party, twenty men strong, thundered along the misty path. Astride rhinos in full battle armor, they raced toward their objective. In the weeks following the Fall of Ba-Sing-Se, the Fire Nation had redoubled its efforts in the Earth Kingdom. The Firelord would accept no dissension from anywhere in the empire. This small raiding party was under strict orders to squash any remaining resistance in the Earth Kingdom. With the Avatar gone, Firelord Ozai felt assured of his final victory. In time, the winding path opened onto a large road, leading down into the mountain valley. At the base lay their target: a hidden Earth Kingdom village nestled deep in the mountains.

These were elite men; hardened, experienced, highly skilled at both armed combat and firebending. At the head of the column rode the officers, silently leading their men down the mountain, ready to give the order to annihilate any resistance. With surgical precision and chilling ruthlessness, they thundered down the mountain path, over the embankment wall, and into the quiet village. A blinding flash rose from homes as the column slammed into the peaceful morning.

In minutes…all was silent.

OOOOO

Kurzen, Captain in the imperial Army, walked slowly down the pathways of the village. He was a bit annoyed at the paltry resistance he had encountered. Kurzen longed for the days when he fought strong Earthbenders, powerful soldiers who did not hide in the shadows when faced with annihilation. To challenge the Firelord was futile. Kurzen knew this, and yet when he had been given this mission to erase this small hidden village, he had expected something more.

The fight had been very brief, and in Kurzen's eyes, a waste of effort. There was little here besides some ancient monks, and small number of women and children. Most had already been rounded up and sent in convoy back to the coast, where Fire Nation ships would return them to the Homeland. Kurzen could see no strategic value in this city, but resistance was resistance. This was not a village but more of a temple. All nations would serve the Fire Nation one day, the superior civilization.

"Lost in thought are you my friend?" said a voice from the shadows. Kurzen turned with a start, only to relax in recognition at its owner.

"I see you still favor silent footsteps Zaizhen. How long will you persist in sneaking up on me?

"As long as you continue being so susceptible." Zaizhen said with a bitter smile. "Besides," he added, "I had thought Captains were trained to be alert. One never knows where an attack comes from no?"

"Spare me your cryptic proverbs Zaizhen." retorted Kurzen. "They make no more sense here than back at the academy. I had hoped that by now you would have learned not to waste them on me."

Kurzen and Zaizhen had come up through the ranks together. Theirs was a strange relationship. The two men could not be any more different. Kurzen was older, in his late twenties, and hardened by battle. His hair was jet-black, like the majority of Fire Nation men. His eyes had a dark, uncompromising feel to them, of barely restrained fury. He was a firebender through and through.

Zaizhen was young, barely twenty years old, but a true prodigy of combat. Intelligent and driven, Zaizhen seemed more of a philosopher than a soldier. His mother had been from a foreign nation; his hair was tinged slate-gray, and his eyes were a strange, bright crimson hue. He was unusual in the Fire Nation, in more ways than his outlandish appearance. He cared little for the war, and seemingly even less for the Firelord. He and Kurzen seen by most as bitter rivals, but they had mutual respect for each others prowess.

Zaizhen shrugged. "Hope whatever you choose. I see no reason to stop my habits." Zaizhen stopped to look around at the smoldering ruins of the city. His expression turned grim. "As I see you are in no hurry to give up yours. Was it necessary to destroy the entire town? There were hardly any young enough to fight back."

Kurzen smiled wickedly. "Your mercy will be the death of you one day."

"And your blood lust shall be yours. Why do you persist in using more force than is needed? The Earth Kingdom despises us enough as it is!

"Fear controls the people Captain Zaizhen. Fear brings order to chaos. It is far more efficient to quell any idea of resistance than to allow it to take root." Kurzen grinned and then added, "Put that in your list of proverbs!"

At that moment, two soldiers joined the two captains, breaking the tension in the air.

"Captain Kurzen, Captain Zaizhen, we have a problem! One of the monks is putting up a fight. He refuses to leave the temple!"

Zaizhen sighed long and hard, while Kurzen smiled evilly.

"Good, a challenge at last." Kurzen turned swiftly on his heel and followed his subordinate back to his mount. Zaizhen followed swiftly, keeping a close eye on his partner.

OOOOO

The two captains joined their men before a great door hewn into the side of the mountain. Built at the mouth were towering columns of stoned, a clear sign of Earthbender architecture. A short climbing stair led up to a raised dais before the enormous portal. At the center of the dais stood a figure clad in forest green. The monk was ancient, his face set with so many lines it seemed an endless labyrinth was etched upon his skin. He stood stoically, his hands clasped before him, quietly staring down the gathered Fire Nation soldiers. Kurzen was the first to speak.

"Step down old man! This village belongs to the Fire Nation! You would be best to remember your place!"

With a barely noticeable nod, the monk turned his head to the hot-headed captain.

"My place is here, conqueror. My task to protect this place it is. Allow none to pass may I."

"And what might this place be old monk?" asked Zaizhen, interest and curiosity lending a quizzical tone to his voice. The monk did not reply. Instead, he spread his arms before him, and struck a fighting stance toward the gathered soldiers. It seemed almost pitiable; he was one old man against twenty elite Fire Nation Troops.

"Don't be foolish old man!" shouted Zaizhen. "This pathetic little town is beaten! Surrender peacefully and you will not be harmed."

"None may pass the Seal. The Door of Shadows must not be breached."

"Seal?" murmured Zaizhen. "What do you…?" But the question was cut short as a massive blast of flame burst from Kurzen's fists. The monk tried to raise a shield of earth, but the fire slammed into the makeshift barrier, and flung the poor man to the ground.

"Bind the old fool! If he is so interested in protecting it, it must contain something quite valuable!" Kurzen laughed then, almost manically, drunk on the rush of blood lust. Kurzen widened his stance, and began to gather more energy from the warming day. The old monk tried to struggle from the soldiers holding him down. With a terrified, almost desperate plea, the old man shouted at Kurzen.

"NO!! You mustn't! The Seal must not be breached!"

Kurzen started forward, racing toward his partner in a vain attempt to hold him back. Just as Zaizhen was about top grasp the Captain's arm, a huge fireball shot from his hands and exploded upon the stone portal. With a great roaring crash, the door crumbled beneath the flames and shattered in a rush of earth and dust. A great rush of air blasted from the mouth of the cave, blasting the assembled soldiers back. The old monk sank to his knees, and looked on in horror at the shattered stone door.

When the dust had settled, Kurzen grinned wickedly, and raced forward to claim his prize. Zaizhen hurried to keep up, shouting after his partner, trying to calm his maddened state. Something told Zaizhen that a horrible event had just taken place, and he and his comrade were now at the start of something much grater than the war.

As the two captains passed the threshold between light and darkness, Zaizhen saw the glittering light filtering in from the hole created by the freshly broken earth. The dust caught the rays of the sun and filtered down like drapes, seeming to give life to the shadows. Zaizhen soon caught up with Kurzen, and took stock of his surroundings. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he was drawn up short. The room beyond the portal was a bare chamber. The roof of the chamber rose twelve feet above their heads, but there was seemingly nothing inside.

"What is this? asked Zaizhen, "Why go through this much trouble to protect an empty room?"

Kurzen said nothing. He seemed to be staring off into space.

"Kurzen? Is something wrong?" Still, there was no answer from his comrade. Zaizhen followed his comrade's gaze, and alighted upon a spot on the far edge of the chamber. There, covered by ancient dust, a masticated corpse lay slumped against the wall. The skull was without flesh, the empty sockets staring blankly forward. Zaizhen stepped cautiously forward, wondering what had transfixed his Kurzen so. As he stared into the empty sockets, it seemed as if they began to shimmer with light. The Captain shook his head wondering if the light was playing tricks.

He turned back to look at Kurzen, and jumped back in alarm. Kurzen had disappeared! Looking around swiftly, Zaizhen found himself completely alone. The skeleton continued to stare at him, the light within its eyes now truly glowing. As he continued to gaze back, the light of the shattered door began to recede. Zaizhen raced back to reach the safety of the light, but as his feet moved toward the open portal, he felt himself lifted off the ground!

As he fumbled and struggled in mid-air, he felt a low groaning emanate in his mind. It grew to a sinister hissing sound, and then, as he gazed back down at the earth, he found himself engulfed in pitch black. There was no door, no chamber, no skeleton, nothing. He felt a pressure build upon his chest, and his head began to throb with an incredible pain. Just before he lost consciousness, he heard a noise within his head that sounded like a thousand voices crying out in triumph.

"_FREE AT LAST!!!"_

And then there was darkness…

_ Huzzah! There it is! The first chapter is finished. I have had this idea for a long time, but I had thought I was the first to think of it. That might have been my egotistical nature speaking. . Anyway, I am going to try to keep this going. I love Avatar, and I would like to bring in the idea of a gray character. As the story continues, I would like to incorporate a really classy way of taking down Azula.GRIN But that is for the future! I hope you all enjoy it. _

_ And for those of you who are a little confused at this, yes it is about Avatar, but this first chapter was necessary to set up the rest of the story. I promised I will bring in our favorite benders before too long. No worries!_


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